I don’t usually like Mexican food but this is great. From burritos to enchiladas to tacos.  It’s a great place for a get-together or a family dinner.  It’s not a fast-food place but it’s not a fancy schmancy kind of place.  The menu has a wide variety, which is good for large families (4 plus).  I don’t know about your family but in mine everybody likes way different things to eat. Since I usually eat from the kids plate, I’m happy to say that the food portion actually fits a child’s needs. I mean, sometimes other restaurants always give the adults the larger portions. There’s a reason everybody says: “She’s a growing child!”  I’ve never heard: “She’s a growing adult!”

So the reason I’m reviewing Fuzzy’s is not because they’re new, but because there is a new location at 4740 W. Mockingbird Lane near Love Field and they take care of kids.  I really like Fuzzy’s and I know you will too! Ta-Ta!!!

It's not a beautiful day in this neighborhood.

I did not go to The Magic Time Machine for haute cuisine. When I packed up a good portion of my family, including three kids, and headed to the popular restaurant known for servers dressed as Peter Pan, Superman, or Jack Sparrow, I had no expectations of getting a decent meal even though the prices for entrees run from $13 to $23.99.  I did expect to dine in a safe and clean environment. Or at least a restaurant that was not so filthy it caused my 12-year old niece to turn to me, dirty fork in hand, and say, “Uncle Nancy, I think you should write about how dirty this place is.”

We walked in at 5:43PM on Sunday night. We were greeted by the stench of stale air. It was like walking into an old house without windows: the smell of musky furniture combined with lingering cigarette smoke trapped inside for years. The dark carpet was littered with bits of paper (toilet?) and napkins. Nobody had bothered to vacuum between shifts (days?). I spotted a plastic Gerber baby food container tucked behind a round light to the right side of the front door. The contents were dried and cracked. As I watched my 3-year old nephew run down the short hallway, I noticed a lamp cord connected to an extension cord lying perilously on the rug about a foot from the wall.

Do a shot of Pepto Bismol and jump hard.

Restroom: 6:00PM on Sunday night.

We were seated in the Library Room. At first I thought the dust on the books had been sprayed on for effect. Not so, it was real. Many of the books once glued to the wall were ripped off and  the unpainted wall was exposed. The wallpaper on one wall was worn through to the dry wall and you could run a knife down the outside and peel off a layer of crud. At 6:00PM on a Sunday night, the trash cans in both bathrooms were overflowing with used paper towels and the salad bar, which is displayed across the top of an old car, was surrounded by dropped ingredients.

Old baby food container tucked behind the light by the front door.

Servers dressed in tacky costumes were whirling around with huge trays of food and bubbling red, green, and yellow drinks. I never saw anyone replenish the anemic bowls at the salad bar or anyone attempt to wipe up the dressing, which dripped down the car door, or the black olives strewn across a plate of beets. The restaurant was maybe half-full.

I’m not going to get into the food except to say whatever you order will taste like nothing, including the tough-to-cut prime rib. This is not my first time to The Magic Time Machine. It has been open since 1973 and was once a hot place for dates (still is) and birthday parties (ditto). The costumes used to better: the ones I noticed looked like they’d been thrown together for a pre-school play: all felt, tights, and glitter.

Here’s the catch $23.99: the kids had fun. They didn’t have to pay the bill or endure the incredibly shoddy visuals. I wonder how long it has been since the someone has shampooed a rug, had the upholstery cleaned, or scrubbed a bathroom. I also wonder the last time a fire marshal or health inspector visited. They could walk in with in their uniforms on and nobody would even notice them! Adults shelling out big bucks in a dirty restaurant with kids’ handprints (not going there!) all over a greasy salad bar would appreciate the gesture. At least force them to put a bottle of Purell next to the ketchup.

Three feet from the front door. The main hallway.

The cruddy, worn-out wallpaper in the library.

Dirty, worn-out forks.

When I first heard about the food truck, Cup Cakin’, I was watching Project Runway.  Well let’s reverse.  I heard my Dad scream, “Cupcakes!” Normally, that gets me up. But I had to see if Anya won, for like the, millionth time. So when the TV show was over and her victory and all the tears of joy and mushy stuff like that was over, I raced downstairs. So my Dad explained all the cupcake flavors and blah, blah, blah. I found them on the kitchen counter mourning for me to eat them. There was a cookies & cream one and a peanut butter one.

Jump.

Photo from Cup Cakin' Facebook

I also noticed that they each came in their own personal little cup. This, in my opinion, is a fabulous idea so they don’t get messy or get ruined when transporting them in the car.

Cookies & Cream (photo by Elizabeth Chandler)

I first tried the cookies & cream. I loved it so much that I wolfed it down. Next, I tried the peanut butter cupcake. I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter turned into something, well, other than plain peanut butter, but I definitely recommend it to any Reece’s lovers out there. The last two I tried included a vanilla/bacon one that I wasn’t a big fan of and then, the last but not least, strawberry cupcake. It was a) very strawberry, icing and cake b) it had a vanilla and strawberry swirl for the icing and c) the cake part was fabulous!!!

Also, I didn’t eat all 4 cupcakes at once, something I wouldn’t recommend, believe me I’ve tried something like that and it didn’t have a happy ending.

Ruthie's Rolling Cafe (photo by Elizabeth Chandler)

One, completely boring,time-wasting, no fun day….. My Dad says,”I have a supriii-se!!!” This is never a good thing.”We’re going to another food truck!” Ugh. Don’t get me wrong.  I love food trucks, but when your Dad is nagging on you to take pictures, your brother takes forever to order,your sister is whining about the heat, your mom is trying to make everyone happy, well, it gets a little annoying.  So I try every sickness and hurtness known to child.  Broken leg, headache, sprained wrist, stomach ache, scratchy throat, you know the usuals.  My Dad gave me the I-don’t-care-how-sick-or-hurt-you-are-you-are-going-to-stop-pity-partying-and-go.  Eventually I had to go.  It’s amazing how many threats my parents can make up.  So getting there I saw it first thing.  I mean who can’t miss a pink pig with a chef’s hat on the front of a ginormous truck? There were a LOT of people.  As usual my brother took forever to order.  They had the cutest little menus!  The first thing I noticed was they were all grilled cheeses.  I absolutely love grilled cheeses!  I first checked the four choices you had on the checksheet-menu.  First the bread,  then the cheese, next the meat, and then fifth, if you wanted, sauces, spread, or toppings you could have that too.  Everyone loved their sandwiches including my brother who is very picky about what he eats.  It’s a great place to go if you don’t want to cook or go to a restaurant and wait so long if you have kids who are constantly whining about the wait then when you plate the food they won’t eat a bite.  Sounds like someone I know (My sister and brother,and me).  You’re probably like zzzzzz by now so to sum it all up I love Ruthie’s!!!  It’s one of my favorite food trucks!!!